Who Remembers Model "A" Parts in the Sears Catalog?

[ericr]

As I recall, they did not have a large selection...does anyone know where those parts came from?

[DD931]

Yes - I remember!! Not much of a selection. I think they were probably made in the USA. This was before the offshore suppliers really got rolling.

[Conaway2]

I bought a radiator from Sears in the 60s. It was pretty cheap - only 2 rows of tubes. I bought many tires from Sears back then. My parents would usually give me a Model A tire from Sears for Christmas....

I don’t remember Sears carrying much else for a Model A then.

[MikeK]

I remember them having re-manufactured blocks. Those came from Jasper, Indiana.

[jb-ob]

Yes .....but do I have to admit it ?


Wasn't there a two page advertisement from Sears offering Model A parts showing a young guy dressed in tan khakis & loafers under a black Model A as if replacing a muffler ?

[MikeK]

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Originally Posted by jb-ob

...Wasn't there a two page advertisement from Sears offering Model A parts showing a young guy dressed in tan khakis & loafers under a black Model A as if replacing a muffler ?

Muffler job? I always thought they were showing someone who got run over after using their brake parts.

[Keith True]

The Sears nearest me,in Manchester N.H. had their engines done locally.That shop also did engines for Page's Model A Garage back then too.When I was a kid Sears was pretty well done with A's,but I do remember a couple of engines in stock in the garage behind the main store.Interestingly enough in that old Sears garage there is a machine shop now that swedges drums onto the hubs.He said he doesn't do it much,but he says there is no reason to get rid of the tooling.He has some really neat jigs that support the whole hub while pressing on it.

[Joe K]

The Model A ads were my "must see" on going to Grandma's house in the late 1960s. Her catalogs were in an upstairs room ("The Boy's Room) which originally housed my father growing up - but by the 1960s had transitioned into a full sit and watch Black & White TV (Color was downstairs)

Her catalogs were "past" - as in dating to the early 1960s. But were kept on hand for "reference" to current pricing and purchases.

I used to know of a site online where one could find these old catalogs "archived." Alas, I'm not seeing it now.

Joe K

[denis4x4]

I worked for sears in 1958 and they had Model A short blocks and long blocks. Lots of tires and brake shoes

[barnstuf]

Along with rebuilt engines Sears sold mufflers, engine overhaul gasket sets, tires and tubes, brake linings.

[37 Coupe]

A friend of mine put a Sears engine in his '29 Tudor and it would start and run okay cold but shutdown it would not turnover again until it cooled off.It never loosened up or broke in. We had Columbus Colwell or Cold Weld at the time who rebuilt Model A and Ford Flathead engines but I don't know if they built for Sears. Cold Weld was there practice of pinning cracks with metal pins and peening them.

[Richard in Anaheim CA]

I remember Sears and also Montgomery Wards. Very similar. I think the rebuilt engines were $250 and I have driven on 40 year old Allstate tires that seemed to never wear out.

I have a friend that still drives with a Sears rebuilt engine. He says it will never wear out.

[Oldbluoval]

And what about Western Auto? They had a huge line of A parts
I don’t remember seeing/buying but old timers used to identify sheet metal
including fenders as being “Western Auto”

[burner31]

My car had Sears tires on it when I bought it.
I also remember J.C Whitney having lots of Modal A parts you could order.
But then again I remember when the flag had 48 stars on it. (I still have an original 48 star flag, and a very rare original 49 star flag)

[History]

There's a golf course, private club near by, very exclusive, not flashy money but powerful money that had a sears roebuck sold home in it many moons ago. The fellow who owned it was of humble beginnings and very proud of the fact it was a sears home. He passed away a few years ago and the home was torn down this past year. It was a nice home, well maintained.

[Pat/Ohio]

The '30 Town Sedan I just acquired has Sears Allstate tires on it. They have plenty of tread left, but the sidewalls look a little dry-rotted. I won't be driving it very far with these tires on it. My friend who owned the car last purchased it in 1963! Probably has had the tires on it since about that time.

Pat

[leo]

What's a Sears catalog.....................?

[37 Coupe]

I have actually been looking for a set or at least two of the Sears Allstate whitewalls that Garfield made for them .Nylon and do not wear out.I just missed a set of four that still had their stickers on them but seller would not ship anyway.

[Ray in La Mesa]

In 1964 I put a Sears rebuilt engine in my '30 fordor. A short time later I had to redo the valves as they had not set them right. It came out of the Los Angeles store.

[Gold Digger]

I bought 5 tires and tubes from Sears in 69 and they are still running on the car today.

[Jeff/Illinois]

Originally Posted by leo

What's a Sears catalog.....................?

Yes, and soon people will ask 'What was Sears?'

Going the route of Montgomery Wards and S.S. Kresge Co. which later became K-Mart and then bought by Sears.

JC Penny is right behind them they are going down too. That's a shame.

[walkerlakeprinter]

Originally Posted by burner31

My car had Sears tires on it when I bought it.
I also remember J.C Whitney having lots of Modal A parts you could order.
But then again I remember when the flag had 48 stars on it. (I still have an original 48 star flag, and a very rare original 49 star flag)

Hang onto that 49 star flag! But if you ever want to sell it, let me know. I was 11 years old and lived in Haines, Alaska, when Alaska became the 49th state in 1959. My family moved to Alaska from Pennsylvania in 1952 when it was a Territory. In 1960 Hawaii became the 50th state, and the 49 star flag was retired.

[37 Coupe]

Originally Posted by walkerlakeprinter

Hang onto that 49 star flag! But if you ever want to sell it, let me know. I was 11 years old and lived in Haines, Alaska, when Alaska became the 49th state in 1959. My family moved to Alaska from Pennsylvania in 1952 when it was a Territory. In 1960 Hawaii became the 50th state, and the 49 star flag was retired.

A local high school student in my hometown Lancaster Ohio designed and submitted the design of the 50 star flag that was adopted. He was a senior who graduated in 1960 and it started out as a History or Civics project that he received a grade of a B or less. After Eisenhower accepted the design at the Whitehouse I think his grade was elevated to an A +

[Jim Huseby]

I don't recall them myself, but my dad told me that before the war he and Mom had gone for a walk to do some window shopping in downtown KC and Montgomery Wards had a rebuilt Model A engine on display with the MW rebuild tag on it. $35.00 at that time, probably 1939 or 1940.

[Jeff/Illinois]

Originally Posted by Jim Huseby

I don't recall them myself, but my dad told me that before the war he and Mom had gone for a walk to do some window shopping in downtown KC and Montgomery Wards had a rebuilt Model A engine on display with the MW rebuild tag on it. $35.00 at that time, probably 1939 or 1940.

Wow

[Roger V]

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Originally Posted by Oldbluoval

And what about Western Auto? They had a huge line of A parts
I don’t remember seeing/buying but old timers used to identify sheet metal
including fenders as being “Western Auto”

Bill, you bring back childhood memories. My Dad owned a Western Auto store in the late fifties. We didn't have A parts that late. Several years ago I bought an original Western Auto catalog dating 1929 thinking it would have lots of A parts. I guess the Model A was too new then. It had a few A parts but a lot of T parts.
Roger

PS: I did buy a set of Allstate 19 inch tires from Sears. As mentioned they were made by Garfield as well as seven other brands. Lasted forever.

[wensum]

When I restored my first Model A in '66, Sears was the only supplier of parts that I was aware of here in New Zealand and I bought a main gear cluster from them which did the job. Otherwise we went to wreckers to look for parts that were in better condition than the ones we had

[Shelbycsx]

I have this u joint

[Bob-A]

Maybe not Sears, but I remember back in the late 60's when I was driving my original '29 Chevy coach. I use to marvel at all the parts you could get for Model-A's in the J.C. Whitney catalog. I said to myself back then: "I'm going to have to get one of them "A's" some day"..............


Bob-A

[Mike Peters]

This Sears engine rebuild tag was on the firewall of our 30 roadster that was restored in 1958, so I assume this engine was purchased in 1958 from Sears. Notice that all the rebuild specs are stamped onto the tag. I really should reattach it to the firewall before it gets lost, since the tag is a piece of history. We've had the car about 20 years and it still runs very well.

[Joe K]

Originally Posted by Mike Peters

This Sears engine rebuild tag was on the firewall of our 30 roadster that was restored in 1958, so I assume this engine was purchased in 1958 from Sears. Notice that all the rebuild specs are stamped onto the tag. I really should reattach it to the firewall before it gets lost, since the tag is a piece of history. We've had the car about 20 years and it still runs very well.

What color was that Allstate engine as you got it. And was the block marked with any markings at the VIN Code square?

I've always suspected my original 29CC pickup engine was an Allstate. Red-including the generator and starter motor. But NO engine/VID number in the square. The square appears "original rough casting" and I believe the engine is as "original" - as in an engine sourced from Ford to Sears for sale/marketing by them.

Joe K

[TerryO]

This Sears engine rebuild tag was on the firewall of our 30 roadster that was restored in 1958, so I assume this engine was purchased in 1958 from Sears.

It looks like the tag is dated '59...


TerryO

[Mike Peters]

Terry: You are right. Didn't notice the date. Must have been purchased in 59. I bought the car 20 years ago from an elderly seller who told me he restored it in 58, but was probably 59.
Joe: I'll go out tomorrow and take some engine photos. The car has been untouched since it was restored way back when.

[Mike Peters]

Engine # and photo of engine. Stamped block #does not match title #. The star is present, before and after, but faint. Color is more or less Ford engine green. Unfortunately, that's all I can tell you. The Sears engine tag in my previous post came with the car, and so I just assumed that the engine in our roadster was a Sears engine. In a court of law, that would amount to being "circumstantial evidence". You, the jury must decide if this is indeed a Sears engine, or not.

[Purdy Swoft]

I remember model A parts in the Sears catalog . I was too young at the time and hadn't yet gotten my first model A .

[oldbird55]

I miss the catalog now we buy toilet paper.

[Ted Duke]

Originally Posted by Jim Huseby

I don't recall them myself, but my dad told me that before the war he and Mom had gone for a walk to do some window shopping in downtown KC and Montgomery Wards had a rebuilt Model A engine on display with the MW rebuild tag on it. $35.00 at that time, probably 1939 or 1940.

I'll take ten!

[rocket1]

I have been running those Garfield tires since the 70's,11,000 miles no sidewall cracks and hardly any wear,could todays tires compete!

[CA Victoria]

JC Whitney Model A Ford Catalog - 1962

[Woodys29]

I bought new Allstate seconds at a junkyard for three dollars each there was no flaws visible flaws and they ran for many miles ,this was in the early sixties.

[rogerkb1936]

I have a montgomery ward catalogue around here somewhere, that is completely devoted to model a

[Dave H]

Sears, Western Auto, Montgomery Ward, Pep Boys catalogs from the post production days of the Model A all had at least some Model A parts.
A western auto catalog listing cars up through 1936 had a half dozen dedicated pages plus more parts in generalized areas. Some prices were: king pin sets, 79 cents, 10 leaf front spring, $1.49, popout with 2 keys, 79 cents, and on and on. Ford part numbers were used.
The 1932 Pep Boys catalog had no pages especially dedicated to Model A's, but parts were scattered among numerous pages. lots of aftermarket accessories, a variety of schlock stuff, maintenance products, misc. cheapo items. Usually a price leader, they beat Western Auto's 10 leaf front spring price by 4 cents. A complete "heavy grade" top for '28-'29 roadsters was $3.59.
The 1943 spring and summer Sears catalog had quite a few pages of car parts which included those for A's; rebuilt shocks @ $1.25 each and transmission cluster gears for $4.19.
The fall and winter 1971 Wards catalog still had a few A parts. I found pistons for $5.28, mufflers for $9.98 and batteries for $10.45.
Those were the days.

[noyo55]

I got married in 1966, my wife was working at Sears in the office. I bought a set of tires from them we even got a slight discount. I still have them on a set of wheels.

[Ray in La Mesa]

I neglected to include the cost of my Sears rebuilt engine in 1964, it was $125 for a short block.

[Osage Orange]

Back in '68 the Sears and Wards warehouses were just a few blocks from each other in Kansas City's Northeast neighborhood. I bought tires and a muffler from them, but don't remember which. Pace's Auto Parts on Independence Ave. in the same neighborhood also carried Model A parts. But I bought re-babbited rods, adjustable tappets, new rings, friction shocks and lots of other stuff from J.C. Whitney by mail. Rick's Antique Parts, in nearby Roeland Park, also specialized in Model A stuff, so some of my money went there, too.

[J Franklin]

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Originally Posted by leo

What's a Sears catalog.....................?

Ancient Amazon style merchandizing.

[updraught]

Originally Posted by J Franklin

Ancient Amazon style merchandizing.

What's Amazon?

[Keith True]

In the early 70's I was doing the engine in a Volvo PV 544.The foreign car guys all harped on me,you HAVE to buy OEM parts,no aftermarket for the Volvo.The guy that bored the block for me gave me the best advice.He told me to ignore them,and just buy my parts from JC Whitney.The parts were 1/4 the price of Volvo.He said I would crack it up or roll it over long before I wore the engine out.I was surprised when every part I got from Whitney was OEM Volvo.The machinest wasn't surprised a bit.I still have a bunch of used Model A parts that were bought from JC Whitney.I have a steering box/column/wheel with mailing tags all over it from them.The box end of it is still wrapped up in burlap.I have never unwrapped it to see just how tight it really is.

[J Franklin]

Originally Posted by updraught

What's Amazon?

Known as Amazon.com. You order it from a screen catalog and they ship it to you. Basically just like Sears and Montgomery Ward.

[ericr]

I've been rather surprised at the interest and nature of comments on this topic. Looks like some of us are nostalgic about the society we used to know; but no denying there were major flaws in those days.